[Winter Songs] Classic Showa-era masterpieces. Popular songs you’ll want to listen to in winter.

White SundayREBECCA

WHITE SUNDAY

An unforgettable winter ballad by REBECCA, with lyrics that conjure fogged-up windows, chilly air, and the quiet intimacy of two people alone.

It offers an introspective, beautiful world quite unlike their flashier hits.

The vocalist’s whisper-like delivery layers with crystalline synthesizer tones, evoking a sensation as if the cold itself were brushing your skin.

The track appears on the classic album TIME, which reached No.

1 on the Oricon charts.

Though originally an album cut released in October 1986, its polished perfection explains why it’s remained a beloved winter staple among fans for so long.

It’s a must-listen not only for those who lived through the ’80s band boom, but also for anyone who wants to sink into music on a snowy holiday morning, warm and unhurried at home.

Winter Comes Around (A Winter Day)TM NETWORK

WINTER COMES AROUND (A Winter’s Day)

A little-known yet beloved ballad included on the classic album CAROL ~A DAY IN A GIRL’S LIFE 1991~, released in December 1988.

Its charm lies in an atmosphere that evokes stillness and chill—like suddenly stopping on a winter street corner.

Naoto Kine’s warm, woven melodies and Mitsuko Komuro’s lyrics, which blend loss and hope, seep into the depths of the heart.

Unlike the group’s dazzling singles, the delicate soundscape crafted by strings feels as if it captures a single winter’s day.

Though it had no major tie-ins, the song has long been cherished by fans as a vital piece that colors the album’s narrative.

It’s a winter song for grown-ups—one you’ll want to listen to alone on a quiet night.

Christmas in OctoberAsaka Yui

[Official] Yui Asaka “Christmas in October” (Music Video) YUI ASAKA / JUGATSU NO CHRISTMAS [5th Single]

This is Yui Asaka’s fifth single, released in September 1986.

It was used as the commercial song for “Snow Brand Yogurt,” in which she appeared, and was later included on the album “Star Lights.” Although the title references Christmas, the song endearingly portrays a world not of the day itself, but of an impatient, budding love and a promise made a little early.

Megumi Wakakusa’s lavish string arrangement creates a sophisticated wintry atmosphere within the brightness befitting an idol.

It could be called a hidden gem that blends the fresh innocence and bittersweetness of the night before her breakthrough.

Why not listen to it slowly as autumn dusks deepen and the footsteps of winter begin to sound, while letting your feelings swell for someone special?

Winter FairyMatsuda Seiko

Winter Fairy

This song, included on the masterful album The Wind Rises released in October 1981, was created by the star-studded team of Takashi Matsumoto and Eiichi Ohtaki.

It paints a fantasy-like world where a rose that blooms in winter is gifted along with mysterious powdered snow, delicately expressing the shifting emotions of a girl in love.

The shimmering, richly layered orchestration intertwined with Seiko Matsuda’s delicate vocals vividly colors winter scenes.

Despite never being released as a single, it remains a beloved hidden gem among fans.

April Fools in DecemberEPO

April Fools in December

Released in 1985, this song is a ballad that captures the aching sadness lurking beneath the festive Christmas season.

As the title suggests, the paradox of “April Fool in December” symbolizes a love betrayed.

The lyrics intertwine the pain of discovering that the person believed to be the only one was not, with the loneliness of spending Christmas prioritizing work, vividly reflecting the gap between romantic ideals and reality.

Arranged by Hiroshi Sato, the adult-oriented sound weaves strings with restrained synthesizers.

Included on the album “PUMP! PUMP!” and later re-recorded in a self-cover version, it has long been cherished as one of EPO’s signature songs.

Recommended for those entering winter with a broken heart, or anyone who resonates with the less-than-glittering side of Christmas.

snowneko

Cat Snow

The folk group Neko’s 1972 single “Yuki” is a classic in which the band gives voice to a song written and composed by Takuro Yoshida.

The protagonist’s aching longing for someone far away overlaps with the quietly accumulating snowfall.

The delicate tone of the 12-string guitar, the hi-hat-driven rhythm, and the restrained vocals create a clear, transparent sound that evokes the sophistication of urban folk.

How about listening to it on a winter night when you miss someone you can’t meet, watching the snow dance outside your window? It’s a song that sinks into the heart, keeping you company when you want to linger over past memories in a warm room.

Street Corner of SnowflakesAnri

Anri / Snowflake on the Street Corner

Anri’s 1988 single “Snowflake no Machikado” is a poignant song, filled with the loneliness of remembering a former lover.

It was used as the fourth commercial song for “JT SomeTime LIGHTS.” The first verse depicts the two of them when they were still together, which makes it even more heartbreaking when you consider the heroine’s lingering feelings for her ex in the verses that follow.

The wintry scene of falling snow intensifies the melancholy.

Musically, it’s a mid-tempo disco tune, with a cool, stylish sound featuring a brass section.

expand_lessRaise the rankingexpand_morelower

Hamada Takuya

Report a problem

Winter StationKoyanagi Rumiko

Winter Station - Rumiko Koyanagi

This is Rumiko Koyanagi’s 13th single, released in October 1974.

The lyrics are by Rei Nakanishi, the music by Kunihiko Kase, and the arrangement by Kenichiro Morioka.

Set at a winter station where white morning mist drifts, it portrays a woman’s heart wavering between lingering feelings for a former lover and her own growth.

Aimed at moving beyond her “pure idol” image, the song features rhythmic arrangements and layered vocal techniques.

It reached No.

1 on the Oricon charts and sold 560,000 copies, making it one of Koyanagi’s signature hits.

She also performed it at the 25th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen.

It’s a song I recommend to anyone standing on a winter station platform, looking back on a past romance while trying to face forward.

The snowy way homeWatanabe Minayo

The snowy way home

This was the second single released in October 1986 by Minayo Watanabe, who made her solo debut as a popular member of Onyanko Club.

Written by Yasushi Akimoto and composed by Tsugutoshi Goto, the song topped the Oricon weekly charts and became one of her signature tracks.

It portrays the protagonist walking home at night in the midwinter north wind, collar up on her coat, crying—her sorrow piling up in her heart like falling snow.

At a time when bright idol pop dominated the scene, this work stood out with its melancholic minor-key melody and sentimental lyrics.

Layering the winter landscape over a woman’s feelings as she tries to face forward despite lingering attachment to a lost love, it resonates deeply with listeners.

It’s a perfect song for nights aching with heartbreak or for a quiet evening when snow falls steadily.

EVE to the TERMINALNakamori Akina

Terminal Madeno Eve

One of the tracks included in Akina Nakamori’s four-disc CD box set “AKINA,” which gathers carefully selected songs from a vast catalog.

This song, “TERMINAL made no EVE” (“Eve Until the Terminal”), originally appears on a concept album produced by Shizuka Ijūin, and once you know that, it sounds as if it captures a single scene from a larger story.

The slightly bittersweet lyrics are also noteworthy: “an unstable Christmas that hints at a breakup, yet the woman still can’t quite let go…” When sung by Nakamori, that poignancy is all the more profound.

It may be a Christmas masterpiece that isn’t widely known—at least outside her core fanbase.